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Topic Review (Newest First)

09-11-2008 03:49 PM

Truc

Re: Summer hardcourt season 2008

I don't know if anybody is interested in that kind of things, but it looks like he has a new agent again (he already changed after he left LagardŤre), he's now with Tiriac.http://www.leprogres.fr/sports/omnisports/1044197.html
Moretton (tournament director of Lyon) says that they were negotiating with GaŽl's agent and it was looking good, but 3 days before the deadline GaŽl went over to Tiriac and his coach called Moretton to say he won't play during that week.

He isn't playing Metz either, it won't be a very popular schedule in France!
He has entered Bangkok - Tokyo - Vienna - Madrid - (nothing) - Bercy.

This time I don't agree. I don't get why you're mentioning the Fed and Djoko matches. Of course he will lose these close matches against players who are currently so much better players than him. He did a great job to keep it that close against them with all the shortcomings in his game and didn't really fail or disappoint.
He can choke when it gets tight, he has in the past, but it was not so much his problem this year imo. I thought he was pretty strong mentally when he had to close a set although he wasn't playing so well. Also in the first rounds of the USO again.

Yesterday was a completely different story. I'm still upset about him for that joke of a display. He wasn't that shockingly slow in the 1st set when it was still somewhat competitive, he was in the last 2 sets - when he wasn't even trying anymore.

Rasheed also is upset. Great news, I just hope it won't end up with another coach change, he definitely needs a Rasheed to compensate for all the annoying worship coming from Manicom and Rufin Monfils.

OK, this one need some explanation. I am not talking about choking (what's choking anyway ? is it some PHM choking just at the end of a match ? or is each loss like a choke whatever happens ? ), I am talkin about raising his level a little bit when needed on a big stage. I didn't find Fish pecularly good yesterday, as Djoko and Fed were in their match with Gael, and he was not really far away from him, like he was from the two others. I just feel like he still lacks something at that stage. I am not generalising though, cause it's true that he was already able sometimes to raise his level in the past. But he doesn't have one big victory on a big name in a tight match. And it's clearly lacking.

Yesterday was probably one hell of a hangover though, more than a tight match.

( I don't consider Fish like a big name though. But this match was important and tight : the audience were against him, a match for a quarter final in a grand slam and, most of all, a real opposition in style where it's always a bad match up for the retriever. Hangover or not, he needed to raise his level to win that match. )

Rufin Monfils was in NY especially for the match yesterday and trying to cheer up the Monfils clan after the match, telling stories about Guadeloupe. "Ga&#235;l? He's a human being. One can't be in great shape everyday..."
Yes, but one can try to do something then. His son had hardly done anything yesterday. "Not much indeed", Ga&#235;l admits. He was as dull as he can be electric sometimes. The knee was not the problem. "I asked the physio to compress the knee. But just to reassure me, it wasn't bothering me. Nothing serious." At least he didn't use it as an alibi for this for him pretty unusual "non match".
Was it because of Fish and his style of game? "No, I've already played against players who come to the net like that. Mardy was solid, nothing more. He didn't play a big match."
So what was the reason? "A bad day at the office. I wasn't striking the ball as well as the last few days. During the warmup already, especially on the BH side. Maybe it would have been easier if it wasn't so windy. I was restraining myself and wasn't able to adjust. I couldn't make up for the huge shortcomings in my game..." "I will draw a lot of conclusions from this non-match. In particular the fact that I wasn't able to change my tactics. I didn't find the little thing which would annoy him... That was the problem."
Always impassive in the stands, with his arms folded, Rasheed didn't like the show. The journalist of L'Equipe had met him the day before and Rasheed was saying about Ga&#235;l then that he was courageous, respectful and willing to work: "Of course, Ga&#235;l is not like Lleyton. Fighting was completely natural for Lleyton. It is as if Monfils was going back to the elementary school to learn. With me, he has to give the maximum everyday to get better than the day before. He has to know why he stands up everyday. To start getting ready at the hotel already before going to the office. To give the maximum to be sure to have zero regrets. To never think at the end of a training session he could have worked even harder. It's my rule. I'm quite harsh. I don't like to lose." Imagine the "debriefing" after yesterday's match...
Rasheed was mad: "It isn't admissible. For him and for me. We are not happy. We're not here to get beaten in the 4th round. Nothing was working, right from the beginning. Ga&#235;l must learn to change system. His body language was wrong. That's what I told him and he admitted it. The idea is to be professional so this kind of things won't happen again."
Sir, yes, sir! We don't envy Monfils when he will go to Australia this winter to get ready for the next season.

Rasheed still calls Ga&#235;l "Monfils", apparently (unlike Lleyton).

09-02-2008 06:24 AM

Truc

Re: Summer hardcourt season 2008

This time I don't agree. I don't get why you're mentioning the Fed and Djoko matches. Of course he will lose these close matches against players who are currently so much better players than him. He did a great job to keep it that close against them with all the shortcomings in his game and didn't really fail or disappoint.
He can choke when it gets tight, he has in the past, but it was not so much his problem this year imo. I thought he was pretty strong mentally when he had to close a set although he wasn't playing so well. Also in the first rounds of the USO again.

Yesterday was a completely different story. I'm still upset about him for that joke of a display. He wasn't that shockingly slow in the 1st set when it was still somewhat competitive, he was in the last 2 sets - when he wasn't even trying anymore.

Rasheed also is upset. Great news, I just hope it won't end up with another coach change, he definitely needs a Rasheed to compensate for all the annoying worship coming from Manicom and Rufin Monfils.

09-01-2008 09:44 PM

MacArthur

Re: Summer hardcourt season 2008

He was clearly lacking some fighting spirit, but he was also unbelievably slow. I mean it's impossible for a retriever like GaÍl to beat a guy like Fish who comes every point to the net without being really fast to chase every damn ball.
He also needed to be awefully more accurate and powerful on his passing shot and his serve to make Fish volley in the worst condition possible.

Overall it's a little disappointing to see GaÍl lose every match when they become tighter. It was exactly the same story with Djokovic at Beijing or against Federer at RG. He has the potential to win that kind of match, but he just lack a little something, maybe more fighting spirit or a better mastering of his shot and of his nerve.

09-01-2008 07:46 PM

Truc

Re: Summer hardcourt season 2008

His audio interview also is finally up, there are a few more details:http://www.fft.fr/usopen/2008/?id=4027
He clearly says the knee was not an issue. He just asked the physio to compress it a little bit for a few games in order to feel better, but it was not the reason for his bad match.
Nothing was really working in his game, FH, BH, serve...
The journalist tells him that everybody was surprised because he usually delivers in Slams and that he looks a bit surprised himself by his bad performance. He agrees and says he will have to draw a lot of conclusions from this non-match. It had nothing to do with the fact he was playing for the first time in that big stadion in his opinion.
And when he's asked about Fish, he doesn't give him so much credit, but rightly so imo. He says Fish played a solid match, nothing more. Ga&#235;l's shots were so short, he was not serving well, he was gifting him so many points and let him completely dominate.

09-01-2008 07:36 PM

Truc

Re: Summer hardcourt season 2008

I don't get all the Fish worshipping in GM, it was indeed a non-match from Ga&#235;l in the last 2 sets, of course Fish was looking in control.
I still don't get why he wasn't able to put up a better fight, though. He usually doesn't mind playing poorly, that's one of his qualities, he will keep trying even when he's playing ugly tennis. Especially during big events like here. It was almost a tank, at a Slam, against a beatable opponent, it was pretty shocking.

It was a bad day, it happens. He means he was poor, from the beginning to the end. He already had a bad feeling during the warmup, he wasn't feeling his shots, it was windy, he couldn't adjust. It was a non-match. He wasn't able to vary his game, to annoy Fish. It had nothing to do with the importance of the match, he simply didn't manage to play well. He's not satisfied with his performance at the US Open, he didn't want to lose in the 4th round, that's not why he is training.
Asked about his knee, he says he's been feeling a little pain in the knee for 2-3 days, so he asked the trainer to compress it a little bit. (But it doesn't sound serious and he doesn't mention that as an excuse).

09-01-2008 02:57 PM

Truc

Re: Summer hardcourt season 2008

For a fraction of second I thought it was another story about Ga&#235;l's lovelife when I saw the headline! And then: "what the heck, it's Manicom again".
I agree with every point of your post - incl. the last one, but you understand I had to share my great find in Le Parisien.

Ga&#235;l is quite clearly the favourite for the bookmakers, I thought the odds would be even.
I'm getting nervous, I really don't like Fish, I don't want Ga&#235;l to lose to him. :-/

Allez Ga&#235;lou, win that one to have another chance to get your night session.

09-01-2008 12:30 PM

MacArthur

Re: Summer hardcourt season 2008

They should fly to California just after the USO () (Netherlands is a good destination too)

Seriously, it begins to be a little too much between those too. GaÍl seems to have the bad habit to be extremely fragile, humanly speaking. I was reading an american article where it says that he was a kind of a leader in a group and I believe in the exact opposit : he is more someone who needs to be constantly reassured. He has a hard time to gain confidence in himself by himself. Alyzť Cornet (who was once one of his multiple love interest) said the same thing just after RG.

Well it doesn't really matter to us, as long as he keeps his interest and his serious in tennis.

09-01-2008 11:52 AM

Truc

Re: Summer hardcourt season 2008

"We love each other with GaŽl"

GaŽl dedicated his victory over Nalbandian to Manicom when he was interviewed on the court, but Manicom had already left and is very moved when he hears of it: "I missed the biggest moment of my life! I wasn't expecting that. It's an honor. If I die tomorrow, I will die smiling. It's the best way he could find to thank me."
The journalist meets the Monfils clan the day after the Nalbandian match. 6 people follow him to his training session, among others the new gf, Oriane. Manicom is telling everybody: "You know what? JMac in person said on TV that GaŽl is the player who appeals to him the most!" No reaction from GaŽl.
Then they start talking about the celebration dance if he beats Fish and about the basket-ball shirt which was sent to him by the NBA Orlando team for his birthday. Everybody is in good spirits.
Manicom (who was very criticized at the beginning) about his job with GaŽl: "We've created a winning process. GaŽl didn't use to have the organization of a winner and was getting injured too often. Now he doesn't feel any fear anymore. He inspires fear."
"He already wanted all this before, but couldn't do it because the people around him didn't allow it. It's not easy when the guys don't have work ethics."
"GaŽl is like a Ferrari and I am the mechanical engineer."
"GaŽl is... the best thing which has ever happened to me. He's a friend, an extraordinary patient and a brother who could be... my son. There's a synergy between us. We have fun, we joke... we love each other."

^^

09-01-2008 11:35 AM

Truc

Re: Summer hardcourt season 2008

Great timing, I just saw there is an article about Manicom in Le Parisien today: